This invention relates to a cutter assembly for cutting strips of potato dough and the like into relatively short strip segments. More specifically, this invention relates to an improved cutter assembly for cutting the dough strips into segments having a predetermined variety of selected lengths, and a predetermined variety of selected angular end cuts.
French fried potatoes comprise a popular consumer food item, and are commonly sold in the form of frozen strips of parfried natural potato for finish cooking by the purchaser prior to consumption. Strips of natural potato, however, must be formed without traces of peel and dark spots for proper consumer acceptance. Accordingly, in the formation of natural potato strips for French frying, a substantial portion of the potato is wasted to assure removal of peel and dark spots. This waste results in a relatively high cost of the product to the consumer.
It is therefore desirable to provide parfried potato strips formed from a potato-based dough, and thereby allow for a more complete and economical use of the natural potato incorporated into the dough. To this end, it is desirable to convert a mass of potato dough into a plurality of dough strips which are then cut into short strip segments to simulate a natural potato product. However, prior art cutting apparatus has been designed to cut the dough strips into a plurality of identical strips lengths. This results in an unnatural product appearance since, of course, natural potato strips are formed to have a variety of strips lengths having their ends cut at a variety of different angles. It is desirable, therefore, to provide a cutter assembly for cutting strips of potato dough into strip segments which more closely simulate strips of natural potato.
The present invention provides an improved cutter assembly for cutting a plurality of potato dough strips into strip segments having a plurality of different strip lengths with their ends cut at a plurality of different angles.